rupertcast | the #1 rupert podcast

[Intro music plays]

Julia: Good afternoon to everyone! I'm Julia and today is March the 10 th . And this also marks the first bi-monthly edition of RupertCast. Because a month is really too long to go between each RupertCast, we're gonna start doing two a month, which I know will be exciting for everybody who loves to listen to RupertCast. And, uh, today we've got some really great things to talk about. I think Rachel will start us out with a follow-up on some of our Valentine's Day requests. Rachel?

Rachel: Thank you, Julia. Well, um, many of our fans submitted for Valentine's Day and we would just like to thank everyone who took the time and effort to send us Valentines. They were very, unique and creative. So we would like to thank everyone. Thank you, everyone!

Julia: Thank you!

Claire: Thank you!

Rachel: Yeah, they were really wonderful.

Claire: So, guys, welcome to the show. I'm Claire.

Rachel: I'm Rachel.

Julia: And I'm Julia.

Claire: Unfortunately, Steph can't be with us here today, but, um, because we're now doing bi-monthly podcasts she'll be with us on the next show. To kick us off with our news today, the Goblet of Fire DVD was released this week in the U.S. Although the UK fans will have to wait another 9 days to see Rupert reprise his role as Ron Weasley. We'll have a review of the special features DVD later on in the show.

Julia: All right, um, a few days ago we posted a video that some fans sent us, um, of Rupert at the Goblet of Fire premiere. And, um, it was pretty cute, it was kind of like cool to see it from a fan basis. And, um - what else did you guys think about it?

Claire: I thought it was really funny because at one point in the video, she hands him something - um, one of the girls that sent the video in - and he's just like ‘oh, cool, yeah, thanks . . . bye.'

[Laughter]

Claire: So obviously, um, I mean it was really good.

Julia: What would you say to like someone just handing you something? Oh, thanks . . . uh, do you just stand there or . . . you know?

Claire: Yeah, that's true. Because a lot of the fans, um, are unable to, you know, obviously, attend the premieres, so to see you know, what it's like and how you know he goes around the fans and stuff, that was pretty cool.

Julia: Oh, I'm going to the next one. I'm finding a way.

[Laughter]

Rachel: Yes, we're all 3 going. We're gonna find a way to get there.

Julia: We will.

Rachel: Okay. Um, well, on to our next item of going through. Warner Brothers has released their Goblet of Fire podcast and in it they have kind of a sneak-peek of what the DVD features will have, which is, um, cast interviews between Rupert, Emma, and Dan. Um, so if you go to the Warner Brothers site you can probably get a sneak peek before the DVD comes out if you haven't gotten it already. But anyhow, it's a cool piece of, um, clip, so if you guys run on ahead and go listen to it, it'd be pretty fun if you haven't seen the DVD already - which I have already, so, yeah. Unlike the Brits.

Julia: Claire, you're the only unfortunate one.

Claire: So ironic, isn't it? There was another thing that happened, um, in the run-up to the Goblet of Fire DVD release, which was that Warner Brothers released snippets from some of the cast interviews which were included in the DVD extras. For those of you that haven't seen them, probably a lot of our U.K. readers, um, check the side-bar of the RupertCast site for links.

Rachel: Okay, and on to our Rupert rumor. Um, recently, as we all may have heard from now - by now, Rupert was rumored to have been - to have leant his voice for one of the “My Little Pony” DVDs. [Laughs] Um, Imdb.com had him listed under that, um, saying that his voice was being leant, um, by a - for a general pony. Um, and we're gonna hand that over to Claire to see if this is true or not, and to clarify if this really is genuine or not.

Claire: Thanks, Rach. Great. Rupert's involvement in “My Little Pony: A Princess Promenade” was a rumor. The movie was put up by a group of, you know - prankster people. So the cast list of voices, it includes Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt - so, if that wasn't enough to tell you that it was a fake thing, then I don't know what is. But, all the reviews that followed were all fake as well, so Imbd has since removed the cast list and fixed all the incorrect details. Thanks to Kate for that e-mail. Um, guys, not to state the obvious but I think kind of we all kind of knew that he hadn't done that, you know? Because if he had, then the fans would have known.

Rachel: Exactly.

[Laughter]

Claire: You know, it's . . .

Julia: That, too.

Claire: I think it was just the fact that - yeah, I think it was just the fact that all of a sudden out of the blue one day, was - here was Rupert being credited as you know, having done the voice of a pony for “My Little Pony”. Now, Rupert's career is varied, and, you know, he's done a lot of stuff, he's done a lot of voice acting. But I don't really think the kind of, you know, “My Little Pony” is something that he would do.

Rachel: Definitely not.

Claire: Not to diss “My Little Pony”, but I just don't think that he's attracted to that kind of genre.

Julia: I really just don't think any teenage boy would lend their voice to my little pony. I don't know.

Rachel: No, I agree.

Claire: You never know about that - he might do something in future with “My Little Pony”, but that was definitely - that was definitely not true. Definitely not true.

Rachel: Yes.

Claire: Um, so going into the next part of the show, you all know that we had, um, extensive coverage of both the BAFTAS and “Driving Lessons”, um, and for the “Driving Lessons” segment we asked - we did ask Ciaran some questions on the film that we haven't got on the site yet. So, um, Ciaran - although he isn't on the show, Rachel and Julia are going to, respectively, read the questions and answers that we did with Ciaran. So, you take it away, guys.

Rachel: Okay, so, um, the first question that was given was - What was the audience's general reaction to the film?

Julia: And Ciaran responded with - “Very enthusiastic. They laughed at all the funny bits and even at some of the less funny ones. At the end of the film I could really tell that the entire audience thoroughly enjoyed the film because they clapped straight for over a minute.” He must have found that funny.

Claire: Because he put ‘lol' at the end.

Julia: He wrote ‘laugh out loud' at the end.

Claire: Oh, dear Ciaran.

Rachel: Very nice. Now, um, next question that was given was - Was most of the audience Harry Potter fans, or Julie Walters or Rupert Grint fans?

Julia: And he says - “Probably not. I'd say most people were there to see the film because they're movie fans in general and probably went to a lot of the other films in the festival. The majority of people were middle-aged, but at the end when I was taking photos of Julie, some teenagers ran up to her and were like: ‘Oh my goodness, I loved you as Mrs. Weasley! And I'm so annoyed you were cut from Goblet of Fire.' And then Julie said: ‘Awww, thanks, me too. You write Warner Brothers and tell them how you feel.' So I guess it was a varied audience.

Rachel: Wow that was . . . exactly. And now, the third question was - Having seen the film, in your own opinion, do you think there's a chance the film will be released in the U.S. and outside Europe ?

Julia: And he said - “Well, I definitely think it will be released in the U.K. because it's a great film. The U.S. , I'm not too sure. I haven't seen “Calendar Girls”, but it starred Julie Walters, too, and made the U.S. , so I don't see why “Driving Lessons”, being a very good film, wouldn't make it. Plus, I'm sure the movie-makers will be smart enough to realize that all the Harry Potter fans in the U.S. will go to see the film just for Rupert. So in conclusion, yeah I think it has a good chance of being released in the U.S..” Yay, I wanna see it.

Rachel: Yes, I want to see it as well. Now the last question that was given to Ciaran was - How do you think the film will benefit Rupert's career?

Julia: And he said - “I think it will have great benefits for Rupert's career. Film and casting directors out there will see the film and see that Rupert can act a completely different role to the one of Ron Weasley, and see his potential to play more roles in other films.”

Claire: Thanks, guys.

Julia: And I think that's all the questions we have.

Rachel: Yes.

Julia: Our “Driving Lessons” questions.

Claire: Also quite good answers from him, though. So, you know, we've all - we've each read the reviews now that Ciaran did, and, you know, that the fans did. So, I've probably stated this myself before, but Julia and Rachel - what do you expect from the film?

Julia: Well . . . I was really surprised to hear that there was like that, there was like Rupert kissing a girl in it, and everything. I was surprised to hear that Rupert was kissing a girl. And that they like, well, kind of they like direct it that they sleep together, or something? Which was kind of like ‘Woah, Rupert Grint?' So, I don't know, I think Ciaran's a tough critic, and he did his best and I think from what he's praised about it, it's probably a really good film.

Rachel: Yeah, same here. I'm kind of - I'm hoping that the film gets released in the U.S. , because I really wanna see it. Not only because Rupert's in it, but because I think it just seems like it has potential for it being a really good movie, so I'm really hoping that the film will have its quirks. And, of course, your pros and your cons, but I'm willing to see all of that, and, um, to see if like Rupert has anything aside from Harry Potter, and see what he's got.

Claire: I did ask - I did actually ask Ciaran, if, um, you know, because you go into the film, and foremostly you're thinking of Rupert having done Ron in Harry Potter. And I asked him if, you know, during the film, did you actually forget that he's ever played Ron in Harry Potter, and he said that to some extent that you did. Which is obviously a very good sign.

Rachel: Well, that's good. I think that's really, really good if Ciaran mentioned that, because you won't get so entranced at the fact that he's Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films. You get to see a different side of him, then. Well, that's really good. I'm happy to hear that.

Julia: I think that says a lot about him. I don't know, I think that says a lot about him as like an actor, that he can act outside of . . . ‘cause like, for so long, because they've been doing Harry Potter for like 5 years now, and for so long the whole world has just known him as Ron. So to like be able to act outside of that, that really says a lot about him as a person and an actor.

Claire: One of the things that I was gonna ask you both is something that was kind of on my mind, you know, just as we've been talking about this, is that do you think that the changes that Ben, which is Rupert's character in the film, goes through also mimics Rupert's change in career? You know, because he is Rupert, this kind of shy guy, and, you know, we've seen him grow up on screen, which is kind of what we've seen him do in this film. So, maybe in a way, this film kind of - you know, he kisses a girl, and it's implied that he sleeps with a girl, so that's it, basically a double whammy. But it's out of the way. So the - you know, the fans kind of deal with it and that's it. Because they have to deal with at some point. You know?

Julia: Well . . . I don't know, that does really mimic his changes like you said. I didn't really notice that before, until you said something. That's true - I think that's good because like he's really at such a pivotal, like, moment in his, you know, career, that he's switching. Like ‘cause Harry Potter can't go on forever. And he's gonna, like - there's no way that he can just stop acting, so yeah.

Claire: I think that, um, I think that a lot of child stars, you know - look at Macaulay Culkin - they find it very hard to make the transition from child actors, you know, successfully into adult actors. So, Rachel, what do you think about this film helping him make the transition?

Rachel: I think that what Rupert's doing - um, being in other films aside from Harry Potter - I think it's really good for him because, um, he's not really entranced on doing kid movies, um, because it seems like “Driving Lessons” seems like a more of an . . . like an adolescent film, so I think it's really good for him to do this because he won't get typecasted into playing like only kiddie roles and stuff like that, because that's mainly what happens when you start out as a child actor, because then you won't get any other, um, roles. And it's - it's pretty frustrating, I would think, for an actor, to get typecasted.

Julia: And they always go so bad.

Rachel: Yeah, exactly.

Julia: Oh, yeah. They like get into drugs as like adolescents, and then they don't work for the rest of their lives, they're like these terrible drug-influenced people . . .

Rachel: Well, I'm pretty sure -

Julia: We hope that doesn't happen to Rupert.

Rachel: Exactly. I'm pretty sure that Rupert's a smart boy, and he'll know what to do. And just doing these other films, it just shows his maturity and how he wants to open his opportunities into other things. And I think that's pretty good.

Claire: Yeah, I definitely agree with that. I definitely agree. One of the things that I was gonna say to you, though, um . . . what do you think that it will do for Rupert's career? I mean, you said that, you know, a lot of the child stars get typecasted. Um, and in a way, Rupert has probably been, you know, a lot with Daniel and Emma I think, typecasted more heavily than any child star is ever gonna be typecasted, because it is Harry Potter. So, um, respectively, what do you think it will do, and what options do you think it will open for Rupert's career? I mean, obviously we can't say too much just now because it is only his second film aside from Harry Potter. But, it does show, doesn't it, that he is getting out there and doing these independent films, you know, because it's not a big budget film, it's more, you know, it's more of an independent thing.

Julia: Oh, yeah. Well, and Daniel is, um, also doing “December Boys” right now, and I think Emma's the only person who hasn't done anything outside of Harry Potter. But she's also the youngest. But I just think it's like a really good idea for him, you know ‘cause Harry Potter only has 3 more movies left. So like, it's all coming to an end, and I think that's really really smart of him to like transition to like, you know, smaller, more independent things, and things just totally like the opposite of Harry Potter. That's like really good for him, and I think he'll probably - as an actor, since the review was so good from Ciaran that, um, his acting was really, you know, really well done in this movie, that will open, like, doors for maybe other mainstream, really big box-office hits for Rupert.

Rachel: Yeah, I also agree as well. I think he's - I think he's being really smart about his, um, acting career by choosing films and not just getting into any other film aside from Harry Potter, so I just think it's really - I think he's being really smart about it. Kudos for Rupert, yay!

Claire: The thing is that, the film isn't too much out of the genre that he's in just now, so you know, the way I see it is just - he's taking steps to kind of widen his talent a wee bit more, and I think it's a great way for him to do it, definitely. So, guys, um, that sounds about right, yeah.

Rachel: Yes, it does.

Claire: So, guys, about the storyline, I mean we spoke a wee bit about it but personally, were you surprised by it, or is it what you expected, and how do you think in general the fans will react to it? Once they see it for themselves.

Julia: Personally, like the most surprising thing to me was that, like, I did not see it coming anywhere that he was gonna kiss a girl in this movie, because it's supposed to be about driving lessons with like an old lady, like where does this mystery girl come in, you know, from everything we've heard before? So that was surprising, but I think everyone's gonna really like it, I really hope it gets released in the U.S.

Rachel: It's like just from reading Ciaran's review, um, it sounds like a really interesting movie, so I can't wait to see it. Or I might have to just fly to the U.K. and just watch it. That's another option.

Claire: [gasp] She's coming to the U.K. !

Julia: Well, I'll see it this summer! I'll see it this summer. I have freedom, I am not supervised for the majority of the time, which is really bad probably, and I like probably could get kidnapped or something, but really I am so excited! And I will go during my free time and watch the movie if it's out.

Claire: Actually, Rach, you'll see it too!

Rachel: Oh, yeah . . .

Claire: You'll see it too though, won't you? Because you'll be in the U.K.

Rachel: Yeah . . .

Claire: So there we go, you'll both see it.

Julia: We're for sure going to Oxford on my tour now. And they filmed Harry Potter there, and I just don't know what to do. I'm just gonna never wanna leave.

Rachel: Yay! Take lots of pictures. Lots and lots of pictures.

Julia: I will. Oh, yeah.

Claire: So, Rachel, are you surprised by the direction of the movie?

Rachel: You know what? I was surprised when I found out, but it wasn't like ‘Oh my God' like ‘gasp'. You know, he's . . . how old is he, Rupert's 17, he's a teenager. He's gonna turn 18 this year. It's kinda normal for him to have roles like that, so he's growing up. So along from him growing up, he's also growing up in films, so it doesn't seem so surprising to me. Although it was a bit of a shock at first. But, you know, it just came into realization that he's growing up, it's like he's not just gonna be Ron Weasley, like he's gonna be an adult soon, it's like, he's already 17. So yeah, mmm-hmm.

Claire: I think that kind of ties in with the whole issue of transition, and, you know, the fans being able to deal with the fact that yeah, he's gonna be taking on more adult film roles and he's not just gonna be Ron from Harry Potter anymore. Which is, you know, what I'm sure a lot of fans are gonna be pleased about, because we want to see him doing different things, we want to see what else he can do.

Rachel: Exactly.

Claire: So, um, just on a wee side-note guys, what did you think of Rupert's new look at the BAFTAs?

Julia: Oh, he looked sharp.

Rachel: Ooooh . . . he did.

Julia: He looked good. I'm just so glad because I was so -

Claire: Did you like the haircut?

Julia: I was so sure he was gonna, like, dress down, I had no idea that the BAFTAs were kind of like the Oscars in England . I'm really, really glad he - he looked so nice. He should do that more often.

Rachel: Yes, he looked very, very handsome.

Claire: But still, I mean, he managed to do the whole ‘smart', but still kept it casual, Rupert-casual.

Rachel: Yeah, yeah.

Julia: Oh, yeah.

Rachel: I agree. I think he made it his own.

Claire: What about the - oh, he did. He definitely did. What about the haircut? What do you think about the haircut?

[Laughter]

Rachel: I . . . I think he looks pretty good. I think it looks . . . it'll grow on me, I guess. [Laughs] He still looks . . .

Julia: I loved the long hair.

Rachel: I really don't know what to say. Yeah, me too.

Claire: Are you guys a bit - are you guys a bit sad because he's had it cut?

Rachel: Yeah . . .

Julia: I think he looked so much better with it long!

Claire: Awww. See, um, yeah, I think it was probably - you know, the fact that he's cut his hair, I think it's probably something to do with “Order of the Phoenix ”.

Rachel: Yeah, I think so, too.

Claire: It looked it.

Julia: Mmm-hmm.

Claire: Or maybe he's just wanting to change his style. Who knows, we'll see. Who knows?

Rachel: Yup.

Claire: Um, okay, from this point - from this point in the show, we're gonna go on and have a wee talk with Jeannette about her experience at the BAFTAs.

Rachel: So, Jeanette, tell us about the BAFTAs . . . BAFTAs . . . I can't say it with my American accent.

Claire: [with her lovely Scottish accent] BAFTAs.

Jeannette: Well, it was very wet and cold, but everyone knows it was very wet and cold.

Rachel: So, yeah, tell us about it.

Jeannette: Well, got there, at . . . what time did I get there? Very, very early. So early that it's very hard to remember what time it was. It must have been about 5 or 6 in the morning. I had a nice wait outside Leicester Square Park - because all the gates were locked. They set it up like the “Goblet of Fire” [premiere] around Leicester Square, where basically they had this center bit for the media, and everyone else was gonna be around the outside, and the middle bit was where the famous people were to walk. So, got a nice stand outside until about 9 o' clock in the morning. Then, the very nice Paul, who was head of security (everyone who goes to these things knows Paul) let us in one by one; got bags searched and everything, it was just like going through airport security. Um, basically we had to walk nice and slowly to our places ‘cause if we run we would be kicked out. Uh, got a place right in the middle, facing the Odeon - so we figured it would be better, because last time it was on the other side for “Goblet of Fire” [premiere] and, well, we all know what happened with that one. Uh . . . then came the wait. The long, oh . . . 8, 9 hour wait?

[Sounds of sympathy from the hosts]

Claire: Oh, crap.

Jeannette: It wasn't so bad, the wait, because we managed to get enough room to sit on the floor, and Jeannette was wise enough to bring a blanket, to keep your bottom a bit warm.

Julia: That was wise.

[Laughter]

Jeannette: You can tell I've done these things a few times.

Claire: Oh, yes.

Jeannette: Uh . . . what time did it start raining, Claire? About 1 o' clock?

Claire: Yeah, yeah it was, it was 1 o' clock exactly.

Jeannette: Yeah, ‘cause I think it was about 4 hours exactly - actually it was more than 4 hours by the time we left - but it basically started raining very hard and did not let up. So, I was doing updates to you, obviously, in the pouring rain, surrounded by a load of people. I had my rain poncho on, I had an umbrella, and I was still getting wet. Um . . . my poor autograph book was being hunched in my bag, getting wet; ended up putting it under the poncho to try and keep it dry. Poor Rupert picture, again under the poncho, trying to keep that dry. Um . . . I think - what time did the BAFTAs start itself, it was around about 5 o'clock, I think. By which point, everyone's drenched to the bone and shivering from the cold. Um, we were given these little headphone things from Orange for the BAFTAs, where they had this guy walking around and he had been doing announcements, and he was letting people know, in the crowd, who was turning up. And, to be quite honest, I didn't really pay too much attention ‘til Rupert turned up, so I can't really tell you who actually turned up before him . . .

[Laughter]

Jeannette: I do know Imelda Staunton turned up before him, but I don't remember anyone else. Shows how much attention I was paying to anyone that was not Harry Potter. Um . . .

Claire: So, when Rupert did - well, tell us about Rupert arriving. What happened there?

Jeannette: All right. Rupert arrived and he was very nice, ‘cause he was walking around signing for people, we could see him on the other side walking around. He stopped sort of halfway in between coming in and us to do some media, then he went back to signing. And he got to our section, and he did a photo with a girl that was from Peru , who's actually from - who's one of the forum members. Um, then he came to me and I asked him to sign my photo, which everyone's seen that I uploaded. Uh, I also mentioned the site, which he actually, he's - in a way, seems rather embarrassed that he had a site dedicated to him. Um, he basically smiled, blushed, and he was gonna do a photo, ‘cause I asked him for a photo but his - I think it might have been his PA, or whoever was looking after him that evening was moving him on. Which I can understand, because it was raining and it wasn't very nice weather. Uh, but he was very pleasant and he was signing for everyone along anyway. He did actually do a lot more than quite a few other people did at the BAFTAs, ‘cause the majority of the people at the BAFTAs kind of just walked straight in. So he stayed outside to sign when he didn't have to, so we'll give him credit for that.

Claire: Yeah.

Rachel: Good ole' Rupert. So . . . what about the - the Empires last night?

Jeannette: No rain! Which was an improvement.

Claire: Definite improvement.

[Laughter]

Jeannette: I got there a bit late.

Julia: I was about to ask that, actually - did it rain?

Jeannette: No, it didn't. It was just very cold. Um, I got there a little later than planned because I kind of had to go to university and sneak out of my lecture halfway through, but I'm normally a good student! Um, I got there - what time did I get there? Well, I left my class at 11:30, so I must have got there around 12. Um, there was probably about 20 or so people there before me, and I joined Kelle, ‘cause I was going behind her - ‘cause they had saved me a spot, bless them. That again was another - it wasn't so bad, this one, because the wait wasn't as long, um as the event started around about 6 o' clock, so it was just about 6 hours outside in the cold. Um, the weather was not too bad, it was just the fact that it was windy and there was no shelter from the wind, which was making us cold. And then the security people couldn't decide if they were gonna put

what was called a ‘flat-up' which is where they have, like, the sign of the Empires and they do the photographs against this background.

Claire: Oh, okay.

Jeannette: They were gonna put it where we were, which - so we couldn't see anything. But that wasn't a problem, they couldn't decide whether they were gonna put this camera thing in behind, which would have taken up 4 feet. Guess how much room we were taking up? Well, the blocking the view wasn't the bad thing, it was moving the 4 feet inwards for his camera. With the 4 of us there, we took up 4 feet. So we were like ‘okay, what happens to us?' So, security tried moving ‘em down, but they didn't end up putting this thing in in the end. I got shouted at for ending up in the first row, which was actually a pure accident.

Rachel: Oops.

Jeannette: I was supposed to be behind Kelle, it just didn't end up that way. I ended up next to Kelle. Um . . . so, yeah, 6 o' clock, freezing cold, outside, everything's set up. Only a few barriers, lots of people. Um, everyone's sort of crammed in; not as pushy as premieres or the BAFTAs, so it wasn't too bad. Um, yeah, people started turning up, I can't remember in which order they came in - I remember Jason Isaacs turning up, and he stopped next to me and didn't sign any more, so I wasn't too impressed. But it was cold, we'll let him off it. It was cold weather.

[Laughter]

Jeannette: Um, hmm . . . oh, who turned up after that? I think Dan turned up next.

Claire: How did you manage, when Rupert was walking around signing things, how did you manage to - did you just shout for him? Like, did he recognize you from the BAFTAs, or did you . . . ?

Jeannette: Uh . . . well, he was signing, he was coming down and I - me and Kelle both got him to sign stuff for us because we had things with us we wanted signed. He continued down the line to the bottom, and he was walking back up and I think he was going in and we managed to shout him over again.

[‘Awww's from Claire, Rachel and Julia]

Jeannette: The girl next to me, Carol, she - um, who's actually sent in photos before, got a photo with him. Um, I asked for a photo for the site, which he did and which I uploaded. And Kelle managed to say ‘Can you do a message for the site?' which he did. And then he went in. So we just managed to grab him on his way in.

Claire: [Laughs] Kidnap him. How does he, um - how did he react to hearing about RupertGrint.net when you asked him to, um, do the video message?

Jeannette: Well, I think, like, as I said at the BAFTAs, he's a bit more shy, and he sort of blushed, but this time he wasn't as shy about it I think, and he actually knew about the site now. Don't know if he's seen it or not, but he . . .

Rachel: I think the BAFTAs might have been a bit overwhelming as well.

Jeannette: Yeah. Mind you, the Empires are actually voted for by fans, unlike the BAFTAs.

Claire: See the thing is, if - if he went to the BAFTAs, he might not have expected anyone - you know, because it's so huge - he might not have expected anyone to be therefor the site - from the site. You know?

Jeannette: Yeah, that's true. He would probably expect it for a premiere.

Claire: Yeah, totally.

Jeannette: Then again, it comes back to the Empires as a - as a fan based voting thing. But then I guess it depends on how much publicity has been put out for the Empires, because I only found out through friends.

Claire: Did you? Hmm . . . that's very interesting.

Jeannette: Yeah. I have a friend that I go to premieres with, and she e-mailed me. Lucky I got the e-mail in time to skip class.

[Laughter]

Claire: Thank God for that.

Jeannette: I am not promoting bad behavior, by the way!

[Laughter]

Jeannette: Always turn up for your lessons. Turning up for lectures and doing homework is very important.

Claire: [Laughter] Mother Jeannette, Mother Jeannette.

Jeannette: I should change my user name now from “Messr. Moony” to “Mother Moony”.

Claire: Mother Jeannette Moony. Ah, that's funny. Okay, so, see! These things always seem to happen when you least expect them. And when you do try and it's all planned, you know, nothing ever goes to plan, kind of thing.

Jeannette: Nothing ever goes to plan. In case, you can have a plan. But it just won't ever happen that way.

Claire: But Jeannette still says do not skip classes. Do not skip classes and do your homework.

Jeannette: Yes. Do not skip classes.

Claire: They're important.

Jeannette: Do not follow my bad example. Especially in your final year of university, like me. Do not skip classes.

Claire: Um, okay. Me, too, but yeah. I'm not gonna say anything about me. Um, well, thank you very much, Jeanette!

Jeannette: On the other hand -

Claire: What? What?

Jeannette: On the other hand, I was supposed to be filming yesterday. And the group never turned up, so that was my reason for leaving.

[Laughter]

Claire: Hey, hey . . . I know what you gave as your reason for leaving uni yesterday. I've got blackmail for you.

Jeannette: I won't say another word.

Claire: Jeannette's halo has slipped. No, I'm kidding. Oh, dear. Okay, so thank you very much to Jeannette for coming on the show and talking to us a little bit about the BAFTAs.

Rachel: And thanks for going, to the awards, too.

Claire: Indeed, thank you. Go you! Um, Jeannette's probably gonna be back on when she has time from her busy university schedule, which she always attends. But we'll be sure to have her back on the show soon. But for now, we will just thank her for coming on and telling us about the BAFTAs. Thank you, honey. Thank you.

Rachel: Thank you, Jeannette.

Claire: And now for the site's updates. On the 7 th of March, we released this month's “Rupertised”. In it, it has, as regular readers will know, a monthly feature, Rupert quotes, Rupert trivia, picture downloads, exclusive graphics, thanks to staffer Danielle, basically everything you could want from a monthly magazine. It's linked to from both the main site and RupertCast.com, so be sure to check it out.

Rachel: Yeah, and now, our Rupert gallery has been updated with many, many, many photos of Rupert from past and present, including from the - from “Sorcerer's Stone” to the present of “Goblet of Fire”. Um, with the courtesy of our wonderful staffer, Stephanie! Um, she has also included photos from the BAFTAs, which Rupert attended. Um, there's tons of photos that you guys can, um, look and, um, admire, of course. Um, just check those out, there's a lot of new photos, so make sure to stop by and visit the gallery when you get to the site.

Claire: Now, if you haven't seen the next bit, then you probably haven't been to the site in the past - what? Couple of weeks. RupertGrint.net has changed it's layout. Now, some of you - it's kind of a mixed feedback. Some of you liked it, some of you didn't; please, please, please keep sending your feedback to us because it's very important and we would like to know what you think.

Rachel: Yeah. And in concluding of this, um, our new Rupert Fan of the Month competition has now been launched, and if you feel the need that you want to express your love for Rupert and make it, um, as your title of Fan of the Month over at RupertGrint.net, um, make sure to send in your submission, um, by the deadline, which is I believe . . . is the 25 th of this month? So get in your submissions as soon as possible. And, um, and hey - you never know, you might just be this month's, um, Rupert Fan of the Month!

Claire: Yay! You're doing that, aren't you, Rach? You're doing the Fan of the Month thing?

Rachel: Yes I am! So you guys better make them really interesting so I can get really into them and choose the best one. So good luck to everyone who applies.

Claire: Good luck. Now she may not be here in person today, but that doesn't stop her from recording you a special international goodbye. Now, we all love it, Stephanie's agreed to - to be here with us in spirit, and record us an international goodbye of the month. So, um, as we leave you now, we'll bow out with that. And that's been RupertCast for this month, with me, Claire.

Rachel: And me, Rachel. Yay!

Claire: And that's a wrap.

Rachel: Yes. Thanks for joining us!

[Steph's goodbye]

Stephanie:

Hi, everybody, this is Stephanie here, to give you the low-down. Or, more appropriately, a review, on the “Goblet of Fire” DVD. Depending on where in this world you live, if you live in the United States, you may have already gotten the DVD, um, this past Tuesday, the 7 th , or if you're in the U.K., you've still got about another week to wait until it's released on the 20 th . As for other parts of the world . . . you may wanna go to your local video store and find out when it's released.

Um, so yeah, the DVD in general, you have 4 sections you can choose from. The Dragon Arena, The Lake, The Maze or Hogwarts Castle . Um, obviously The Dragon Arena, The Lake and The Maze are all about the first 3 tasks, um, for the Triwizard Tournament. They give you behind-the-scenes details on how the dragon was created, uh, how they filmed all the underwater sequences, and you know, how the maze moved and . . . ‘cause you know, it was a man-eating shrub kind of maze thing.

But anyways, my personal favorite is the Hogwarts Castle section where you get the “Conversations with the Cast” interview with the trio, um, all the additional scenes, which are more than just like 5 second little snippets that were cut out. They're actually nice, long, you know, couple minute scenes. Um, included in this is a very funny one where Harry and Ron are looking on at a couple of Durmstrang students who ask a girl out. And it kind of goes back to the whole Fred and George thing where it's easier for - like how easy it looks to ask a girl out, and yet Harry and Ron are having trouble with it. And it's just really funny, because the look on their faces is priceless. And I think they should have kept that scene in. Um, another additional scene is, um, the trio around the campfire - not campfire, it's a fireplace - um, some of - probably all of you have seen this picture already, and it's actually an additional scene now.

Other parts in the Hogwarts Castle section is you can see, um, “Preparing for the Yule Ball”. And everybody seemed to have a lot of fun with that one, with all the dancing and whatnot. And then you also get kind of a - a pretty random, um, thing, called “Reflections on the Fourth Film” where they talk about what it's been like filming for the past 5 years on, like, well not “Goblet of Fire” only, but they talk a bit about all the other films as well.

Um, I think another reason that I would have to say Hogwarts Castle is my favorite section on this special features DVD is because it's the part that contains the most Rupert. It's . . . he's actually given, you know, it's not like where sometimes you feel like he's overshadowed by everybody else. I think in this DVD they made it - a really good job at kind of making everybody seem even, like equal. Like they didn't exactly, um, put one person on display. Like it wasn't only Dan, or you know, only the champions. Everybody was pretty much on the same level, um, and it was nice, you know, they talked a bit about Ron's dress robes for the Yule Ball, which was really funny. They showed some more of him practicing dancing with Professor McGonagall. And, you know, even with the “Conversations with the Cast” with the trio interview, you would think from the little clips that were released by Warner Brothers before the DVD came out, you know, everybody was saying that there wasn't a lot of, um, there wasn't a lot of Rupert, that he didn't talk a lot. But that's not really true, because he did talk a lot. And I think, I notice that the interviewer - I don't remember his name, sorry, but, um, he actually made a point to, you know, specifically ask Rupert these questions, which I thought was really nice of him. And it evened things out as well.

Um, so, you know, if I were to give all the features like an official site rating, I'd - um, on a scale of 1 to 5, I'd probably give it . . . a 4 and a half. Maybe 4.7. I don't know.

I thought - I mean, you know, of course there's always room for improvement. And something that I think everybody was talking about and like, what everybody really wanted to see was a commentary. And, um, well, you know, we've still got . . . 5, 6, 7 . . . we've still got 3 more films. So maybe by the time those 3 films come out, we'll have a commentary. You know, I'm sure with each DVD that comes out, there'll be more and more features.

But, something that I thought was really good also with this DVD was that they showed you a lot more of Leavesden studios where they film Harry Potter, and especially with the “Meeting the Champions” segment where it's all about, you know, a day basically with these three actors, Clémenece Poésy, Stan Ianevski, and Robert Pattinson. And it shows you, you know, what they have to go through during the day. And I thought that was really cool.

So, yeah. Overall opinion is that it's really great special features, it's definitely worth it. Um, I don't know why you would just buy the movie and not the special features. Because, you know, it's nice to watch when you're bored. Like, I was just doing that a couple minutes ago. I was watching special features.

Um, not that you needed to know that. But anyways, so yeah. So, I think that's pretty much it for me. Like I said, overall my rating would have to be a 4.5, I guess, 4 and a half. Um, and you should definitely get it if you haven't, or if it's not out yet in your country, you know, but when it comes out, go buy it. Because it's - it's worth it, it really is.

So, for my international greeting of the day, or international goodbye, I'm going to do it in Japanese. And I have actually - I don't know about you, but I've heard of this phrase before and I had no idea it was Japanese. But anyways, it is:

Sayonara!

So, everybody, sayonara. And . . . bye!

Oh, no wait. Okay, wait. I'm just gonna say ‘Sayonara'. Okay?

See ya. Sayonara!

[End music plays]

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